Pussy Riot announces first US tour of “live music performance art”

Pussy Riot has announced its first US tour of “live music performance art”. It’s the Russian feminist art collective’s first organised tour throughout the United States and upon announcing the news yesterday (31 January), dates have already begun to sell out with news of further shows to follow.

Pussy Riot formed in 2011, initially gaining attention for its guerrilla style performances in support of feminism and LGBT rights, as well as speaking out against Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and his links to the Orthodox church. Following the arrest of two members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, after five of its members performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, the collective gathered global support including assistance from human-rights groups such as Amnesty International.

Since then, Pussy Riot members have continued to perform and release music and videos online. The following years saw Pussy Riot communicating their views further, particularly around Donald Trump’s election releasing Make America Great Again with a video directed by Jonas Akerland depicting a dystopian view of the world should he be elected. “Because YOU decide elections and if we get together, we could blow this shit up, take action and reverse this erosion of rights. Because fuck it,” the video’s description explains.

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